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The execution of operational improvement projects can create new knowledge that can be used to contribute to the success of future projects. A paradox exists, in that new knowledge is seldom transferred to future projects, and so the associated value-adding opportunities are lost. The objectives of this study are to determine whether lessons learned are captured during operational improvement projects, and to identify contextual factors that support or hinder the knowledge transfer processes. Through the use of interviews and subsequent data analysis, the research shows that the transfer of knowledge can be better facilitated by addressing the knowledge transfer inhibitors, recognising the valueadding potential of knowledge transfer during the execution of improvement projects, and creating a culture that is conducive to sharing knowledge - in particular, the lessons learned from mistakes and poor management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies need to thrive in a dynamic environment, responding to it in an agile way. Within a company's ICT domain, a key to achieving agility is to use agile software development. Experience, together with a literature review, has shown that the agile software development family of methods does not naturally fit into the context of medium to large enterprises. This article focuses on the challenges associated with agile software development. The main contribution of the article is to affirm that a class-of-problems exists - i.e., that many practitioners face challenges in implementing existing agile software development approaches successfully in medium to large enterprises. We also gather data via multiple interviews to show that the class-of-problems exists in a real-world enterprise that currently applies agile software development in medium-sized governmental bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commissioning parents, in terms of a surrogacy agreement, have the same parental obligations towards their child as traditional parents. Yet, despite the legitimising of surrogacy in the Children's Act 38 of 2005, no provision has been made for suitable parental leave to be granted to these persons so that they may fulfil their parental obligations. The only leave that is currently available to commissioning parents is three days family responsibility leave in terms of section 27 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (BCEA). It is submitted that this leave is insufficient. In MIA v State Information Technology Agency 2015 36 ILJ 1905 (LC), the Labour Court indicated that amendments to labour legislation are necessary to address the lacuna in this respect. The Labour Laws Amendment Bill of 2015 has since proposed relevant amendments to such leave in terms of the BCEA. While the amendments are welcomed, the proposed period and management of the different types of leave give rise to concern and should be addressed. The latest developments in the United Kingdom in the field of parental leave make it a worthy comparator to provide guidelines for the improvement of the abovementioned Bill. In so doing, South African law can also sufficiently protect the interests of the parties to a surrogacy agreement, including the child born in terms thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores, through a basic conceptual-theoretical analysis and a review of relevant literature, the usefulness of employing the communicative action theory of Jürgen Habermas in theorising the elusive notions of participation and participatory communication theory as applicable to project based development (Burnside-Lawry, 2012; Chang & Jacobson, 2010; Jacobson, 2003; Jacobson & Storey, 2004; Ramella & De La Cruz, 2000; Servaes, 1999). The problem with defining participation is that it is ambiguous - both notionally and in actual contexts - as the concept comprises a myriad of dissimilar epistemologies, methodologies and imagined goals, while also representing disparate evaluative measures in thinking about and determining whether or not participation has actually occurred in its various applied settings (Chitnis, 2005; Huesca, 2008; Jacobson & Storey, 2004; McAnany, 2012; Melkote & Steeves, 2001; Morris, 2003; Wilkins, 2000). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anastomotic ulcers (AU) at the gastroenterostomy are a common postoperative complication after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB). Possible risk factors for ulcer formation include active smoking, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, increased tension or ischemia at the anastomosis, or factors that increase the acid secretion of the gastric pouch. Therefore, a longer gastric pouch may increase risk of AU formation after LRYGB., Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of prospective collected data from patients undergoing LRYGB between 2009 and 2019 with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. In 2018, we changed the operative technique from short to long gastric pouch LRYGB. We analyzed AU formation, dumping syndrome, age, weight evolution, obesity-associated medical problems, and NSAID in two groups: long (LP-GP) vs. short pouch (SP-GP) LRYGB., Results: A total of 1058 patients were included in the analysis (178 with LP-GP and 880 with SP-GP). A long gastric pouch significantly increased the rate of AU (LP-GP 12.4% vs. SP-GP 2.6%, p ≤ 0.01, OR 5.3). In contrast, the appearance of dumping syndrome improved in patients undergoing LP-GP (LP-GP 49% vs. SP-GP 60%, P ≤ 0.01, OR 1.5). However, no difference was observed between the groups in terms of weight loss in the first 2 years postoperative., Conclusion: LRYGB with a long compared to a short gastric pouch increases the rate of AU while decreasing the appearance of dumping syndrome. These findings influence the postoperative course of patients undergoing LRYGB, particularly concerning prolonged proton pump inhibitor prophylaxis and a possible tailored surgical approach., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Preoperative diagnostic protocols vary worldwide, some prioritizing safety while others question routine procedures. Building on prior research, this study explores the impact of diverse preoperative findings on bariatric management and procedure selection., Methods: In a retrospective analysis of prospective data of over 1000 bariatric surgery patients from January 2017 to December 2022 undergoing primary laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) or sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) were analyzed. Preoperative assessment included upper endoscopy, upper GI series, and esophageal manometry. Sonography data were excluded. The primary endpoint examined the influence of preoperative exams on procedure selection, the secondary endpoint evaluated their therapeutic impact., Results: 897 patients (741 RYGB, 156 SG) were included. All underwent upper endoscopy, revealing common findings such as type C gastritis and reflux esophagitis. Upper endoscopy prompted a therapeutic consequence in 216 patients (24.3%), resulting in a number needed to screen (NNS) of 4.1. Upper GI series and manometry were more frequently performed before LSG. Upper GI series detected hiatal hernias and motility disorders but did not result in any change of procedures. Esophageal manometry found pathologies in 37 (25.3%) patients rising to 41.5% if symptoms were present. Overall, 16 (1.8%) patients experienced a change in the planned procedure, with 14 changes prompted by preoperative findings and two by technical difficulties., Conclusion: We advise routine upper endoscopies for all patients undergoing LRYGB or LSG, while reserving upper GI series only for selected cases. Manometry should be exclusively performed on symptomatic patients undergoing LSG, ensuring a balanced and individualized preoperative assessment., Competing Interests: Declarations. Disclosure: Adisa Poljo, Jakob J. Reichl, Romano Schneider, Julian Süsstrunk, Jennifer M. Klasen, Lana Fourie, Adrian T. Billeter, Beat P. Müller, Ralph Peterli, Marko Kraljević have no conficts of interest or financial ties to disclose. Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Northwestern Switzerland (reference number: 2018/00356). Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: This exploratory study investigates the possible relationship between inflammation and thrombosis in cervical cancer patients in South Africa, highlighting the need for improved thrombotic risk profiling., Methods: Thromboelastography (TEG) was used to assess coagulation parameters in platelet-poor plasma (PPP) from a small cohort of late-stage (III and IV) cervical cancer patients (n = 19) and healthy controls (n = 15). Parameters assessed included clotting time, clot formation speed, and clot strength. A Luminex Multiplex assay was used to measure interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in PPP. Haematological profiles were also evaluated., Results: Cervical cancer patients displayed a significantly shortened clotting time (p = 0.0044) and increased clot strength (p = 0.0003), suggesting enhanced coagulation. IL-1β was notably elevated (p = 0.0200), consistent with an inflammatory environment. Higher lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts (p = 0.0162, 0.0420, and 0.0374, respectively) were observed, indicating a possible prothrombotic state., Conclusion: These findings suggest a potential link between inflammation and thrombosis in cervical cancer patients. However, due to this study's small sample size and exploratory nature, direct relationships between these factors have yet to be definitively established and remain speculative. Thrombotic risk profiling may still offer value in managing patients, but further investigation is required to confirm these preliminary observations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Louise Fourie reports financial support was provided by Harry Crossley Fund. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Disclosure: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Competing Interests: Disclosures All authors report no conflicts of interest.

Abstarct: BACKGROUND: Early recurrence after esophagectomy is often used as a surrogate for aggressive tumor biology and treatment failure. However, there is no standardized definition of early recurrence, and predictors for early recurrence are unknown. Therefore, we aimed to define an evidence-based cutoff to discriminate early and late recurrence and assess the influence of neoadjuvant treatment modalities for patients with esophageal or gastroesophageal-junction adenocarcinoma (EAC)., Patients and Methods: This dual-center retrospective cohort study included patients who underwent esophagectomy for stage II-III EAC after neoadjuvant treatment with chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and docetaxel (FLOT) or radiochemotherapy according to the Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Cancer followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) protocol from 2012 to 2022. The optimal cutoff for early versus late recurrence was calculated by using the most significant difference in survival after recurrence (SAR). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with early recurrence., Results: Of 334 included patients, 160 (47.9%) were diagnosed with recurrence. Most patients had systemic (60.5%) or multiple sites of recurrence (21.1%), whereas local-only recurrence (9.2%) and carcinomatosis (9.2%) were rare. The optimal interval between surgery and recurrence for distinguishing early and late recurrence was 18 months (median SAR: 9.1 versus 17.8 months, p = 0.039) with only 24% of recurrences diagnosed after the calculated cutoff. Advanced pathologic tumor infiltration (ypT3-4, p = 0.006), nodal positivity (p = 0.013), poor treatment response (>10% residual tumor, p = 0.015), and no adjuvant treatment (p = 0.048) predicted early recurrence., Conclusion: Early recurrence can be defined as recurrent disease within 18 months. Hallmarks for early recurrence are poor response to neoadjuvant therapy with persisting advanced disease. In those patients, adjuvant therapy and closer follow-up should be considered., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Due to improved survival of esophageal cancer patients, long-term quality of life (QoL) is increasingly gaining importance. The aim of this study is to compare QoL outcomes between open Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (Open-E) and a hybrid approach including laparotomy and a robot-assisted thoracic phase (hRob-E). Additionally, a standard group of healthy individuals serves as reference., Methods: With a median follow-up of 36 months after hRob-E (n = 28) and 40 months after Open-E (n = 43), patients' QoL was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QoL Questionnaire Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and the EORTC Esophagus specific QoL questionnaire 18 (QLQ-OES18)., Results: Patients showed similar clinical-pathological characteristics, but hRob-E patients had significantly higher ASA scores at surgery (p < 0.001). Patients and healthy controls reported similar global health status and emotional and cognitive functions. However, physical functioning of Open-E patients was significantly reduced compared to healthy controls (p = 0.019). Operated patients reported reduced role and social functioning, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, and diarrhea. A trend towards a better pain score after hRob-E compared to Open-E emerged (p = 0.063). Regarding QLQ-OES18, hRob-E- and Open-E-treated patients similarly reported eating problems, reflux, and troubles swallowing saliva., Conclusions: The global health status is not impaired after esophagectomy. Despite higher ASA scores, QoL of hRob-E patients is similar to that of patients operated with Open-E. Moreover, patients after hRob-E appear to have a better score regarding physical functioning and a better pain profile than patients after Open-E, indicating a benefit of minimally invasive surgery., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: In South Africa, infants who are HIV-exposed are tested for HIV at birth and 10 weeks of age. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions resulted in reduced access to healthcare services and uncertain impact on early infant HIV testing., Objectives: To describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions on early infant HIV testing and diagnosis in Cape Town, South Africa., Method: This retrospective cohort study compares HIV-exposed infants born during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020) to those born in the same period the year before (2019). Laboratory and other data were abstracted from the Provincial Health Data Centre., Results: A total of 2888 infants were included: 1474 born in 2020 and 1413 in 2019. Compared to 2019, there was an increase in the 10-week HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) uptake in 2020 (71% vs. 60%, P < 0.001). There was also an increase in the proportion of infants who demised without 10-week testing or were lost to follow-up in 2020 compared to 2019 (8% vs. 5%, P = 0.017). Differences detected in birth HIV PCR positivity rates between the two groups (1.1% vs. 0.5%, P = 0.17) did not reach statistical significance; however, a significant increase in vertical transmission of HIV by 10 weeks old was found in the 2020 cohort (1.2% vs. 0.5%. P = 0.046)., Conclusion: Vertical transmission of HIV at 10 weeks increased in the Cape Town Metropolitan during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. There was also an increase in the proportion of deaths without testing by 10 weeks in the 2020 group., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article., (© 2024. The Authors.)

Objectives: The objective was to provide evidence for age-dependent use of neoadjuvant treatment by clinical comparisons of young (lower quartile, <56.6 years) versus old (upper quartile, >71.3 years) patients with esophageal and esophagogastric-junction adenocarcinoma., Background: Neoadjuvant treatment is the standard of care for locally advanced and node-positive EAC. However, the effect of age on oncological outcomes is disputable as they are underrepresented in treatment defining randomized controlled trials., Methods: Patients with EAC undergoing esophagectomy between 2001 and 2022 were retrospectively analyzed from three centers. Patients having distant metastases or clinical UICC-stage I were excluded. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify the variables associated with survival benefit., Results: Neoadjuvant treatment was administered to 185/248 (74.2%) young and 151 out of 248 (60.9%) elderly patients ( P =0.001). Young age was associated with a significant overall survival (OS) benefit (median OS: 85.6 vs. 29.9 months, hazard ratio 0.62, 95% CI: 0.42-0.92) after neoadjuvant treatment versus surgery alone. In contrast, elderly patients did only experience a survival benefit equaling the length of neoadjuvant treatment itself (median OS: neoadjuvant 32.8 vs. surgery alone 29.3 months, hazard ratio 0.89, 95% CI: 0.63-1.27). Despite the clear difference in median OS benefit, histopathological regression was similar ((Mandard-TRG-1/2: young 30.7 vs. old 36.4%, P= 0.286). More elderly patients had a dose reduction or termination of neoadjuvant treatment (12.4 vs. 40.4%, P <0.001)., Conclusion: Old patients benefit less from neoadjuvant treatment compared to younger patients in terms of gain in OS. Since they also experience more side effects requiring dose reduction, upfront surgery should be considered as the primary treatment option in elderly patients., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Problem: Failure is a powerful teacher but an emotionally stressful experience. Before residency, when failure in clinical training is inevitable, medical students should learn to talk about and cope with failure. However, medical school curricula rarely include this topic, and physicians seldom share their mistakes and failures with trainees. This report describes and evaluates a workshop on dealing with failure in medicine., Approach: Two attending surgical consultants and a life coach facilitated the workshop between February 2021 and February 2022, which consisted of different educational approaches, such as presentations, small group discussions, and journal clubs. The sessions aimed to enable medical learners to identify and analyze actual and potential failure events in everyday clinical practice and learn from them, disclose and communicate medical failures and "speak up," reflect on failure and develop coping strategies, and understand the moderating role of fear of failure., Outcomes: Thirty medical students participated in the workshop. Dealing with failure in a productive manner was the medical learners' key learning objective and anticipated takeaway from the workshop. After the workshop, 19 of the 30 participants anonymously completed the standard university evaluation form. The medical students gave the workshop a mean (SD) rating of 8.59 (0.98) on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 10. They felt better prepared to approach future challenges in a constructive manner after being equipped with strategies to deal with failure. Listening to the failure experiences of faculty and peers in a safe environment helped them accept that failure is inevitable., Next Steps: The findings suggest that medical students appreciated a safe environment to discuss failure. By promoting a safe learning environment early in the medical career, medical schools could make an important contribution to reducing the stigma of failure and eliminating the shame and blame culture, thus contributing to students' well-being., (Copyright © 2023 the Association of American Medical Colleges.)

Background: New evidence has emerged since latest guidelines on the management of paraesophageal hernia, and guideline development methodology has evolved. Members of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery have prioritized the management of paraesophageal hernia to be addressed by pertinent recommendations., Objective: To develop evidence-informed clinical practice recommendations on paraesophageal hernias, through evidence synthesis and a structured evidence-to-decision framework by an interdisciplinary panel of stakeholders., Methods: We performed three systematic reviews, and we summarized and appraised the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE methodology. A panel of general and upper gastrointestinal surgeons, gastroenterologists and a patient advocate discussed the evidence in the context of benefits and harms, the certainty of the evidence, acceptability, feasibility, equity, cost and use of resources, moderated by a Guidelines International Network-certified master guideline developer and chair. We developed the recommendations in a consensus meeting, followed by a modified Delphi survey., Results: The panel suggests surgery over conservative management for asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic paraesophageal hernias (conditional recommendation), and recommends conservative management over surgery for asymptomatic/minimally symptomatic paraesophageal hernias in frail patients (strong recommendation). Further, the panel suggests mesh over sutures for hiatal closure in paraesophageal hernia repair, fundoplication over gastropexy in elective paraesophageal hernia repair, and gastropexy over fundoplication in patients who have cardiopulmonary instability and require emergency paraesophageal hernia repair (conditional recommendation). A strong recommendation means that the proposed course of action is appropriate for the vast majority of patients. A conditional recommendation means that most patients would opt for the proposed course of action, and joint decision-making of the surgeon and the patient is required. Accompanying evidence summaries and evidence-to-decision frameworks should be read when using the recommendations. This guideline applies to adult patients with moderate to large paraesophageal hernias type II to IV with at least 50% of the stomach herniated to the thoracic cavity. The full guideline with user-friendly decision aids is available in https://app.magicapp.org/#/guideline/j7q7Gn ., Conclusion: An interdisciplinary panel provides recommendations on key topics on the management of paraesophageal hernias using highest methodological standards and following a transparent process., Guideline Registration Number: PREPARE-2023CN018., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: COVID-19 precipitated a plethora of mental health difficulties, particularly for those with pre-existing mental health concerns such as depression or addictive tendencies. For some, the distress that emanated from the experience of the pandemic prompted excessive engagement in the safety of online interactions on social media. The present study examined whether variation in individuals' sense of control explained the association between depression and addictive social media use., Method: A sample of 1322 participants from two Middle Eastern nations provided data collected during the peak of the pandemic from February to May 2021. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit and collect data from college-aged students enrolled at two universities in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. This study adopted a cross-sectional design in which participants completed a self-administered survey that consisted of measures that assessed depressive affect, sense of control, and addictive social media use., Results: Depression was significantly and positively associated with addictive SMU. Sense of control was negatively related to both depression and SMU and significantly mediated the association between these two variables (β = .62, SE = .03, 95%CI .56, .68)., Conclusion: This study identified a potential protective variable that could be targeted by psychological treatment to ameliorate the potential onset of addictive SMU in individuals with depressive symptoms under conditions of immense psychological distress such as a worldwide pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Vally et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background/aim: Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer is a complex surgical procedure with predefined surgical steps. Anatomical anomalies can offer additional challenges in case of surgical treatment. We present three cases of esophageal carcinoma with thoracic anatomical anomalies affecting the treatment strategy. The aim was to address the anatomical challenges of the anomalies and their impact on surgery as well as elaborate on possible solutions., Case Report: We present three patient cases with anomalies of the thoracic anatomy. The first patient had a tumor with suspected ingrowth in an arteria lusoria. Restaging after definitive chemoradiotherapy showed progression of disease but without previously noted signs of vascular wall invasion and salvage robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) was performed. The second patient had an azygos lobe of the lung and underwent RAMIE after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The azygos vein was clipped, and paratracheal lymph node dissection was performed, however with limited extent at the right side due to the anatomical situation. The third patient was diagnosed with a right aortic arch, where the aortic arch transverses over the right bronchus instead of the left and descends to the right of and posterior to the esophagus and trachea. Treatment included definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT) without surgery, given the anatomical situation and a complete clinical response to dCRT of a squamous cell carcinoma., Conclusion: Thoracic anatomical anomalies are rare entities, which can be asymptomatic. Clinical implications can arise in combination with diagnosis of esophageal cancer and the need for surgical treatment. Therefore, detailed information regarding possible anomalies must be obtained prior to surgery and potential challenges have to be taken into consideration. Resection of related structures with tumor ingrowth can be considered in selected cases to achieve a radical resection., (Copyright © 2023 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) improves patient outcomes. The current POCUS curriculum of the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa is based on guidelines from the United Kingdom with a different burden of disease (BoD) and available resources than encountered locally., Aim: To determine which modules of the POCUS curriculum should be implemented to better equip doctors working at a district hospital in the West Coast District (WCD), South Africa., Setting: Six district hospitals within the WCD., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey with questionnaires for medical managers (MMs) and medical practitioners (MPs)., Results: A response rate of 78.9% for MPs and 100% for MMs was obtained. MPs rated the following modules of POCUS most relevant to their daily practice: (1) first trimester pregnancy; (2) deep vein thrombosis; (3) extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma; (4) central vascular access; and (5) focused assessment with sonography for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) (FASH)., Conclusion: There is a need for a POCUS curriculum informed by the local pattern of disease. Priority modules were identified based on the local BoD and reported relevance to practice. Despite the availability of ultrasound machines within the WCD, few MPs were accredited and able to perform POCUS independently. There is a need to implement training programmes for medical interns, MPs, family medicine registrars and family physicians working in district hospitals. A relevant curriculum for POCUS training based on the local needs within communities has to be developed.Contribution: This study emphasises the need for a locally informed POCUS curriculum and training programmes.

Noma is an infectious disease affecting mostly children aged 0-10. Although it has almost completely disappeared from the Western world, it is still prevalent in many developing regions, mainly Africa's Sahel region. The infection behaves like a necrotizing fasciitis of the face, originating from the gums and progressively expanding into the cheek, nose, or eye regions. In an estimated 90% of cases, the disease is lethal as a result of systemic sepsis. For survivors, typical results are extensive defects of the cheek, nose, and periorbital and perioral regions. Due to the defects, extensive scarring is common, which leads to secondary problems such as growth alterations in an infant's skeleton due to inhibition and restraint of growth resulting typically in cicatricial skeletal hypoplasia. Other sequelae include trismus, partially caused by scarring or complete fusion between maxilla/zygomatic arch and mandible. The resulting overall disfiguring facial appearance results in patients being disabled and socially isolated., Methods: Facing Africa is a UK-based non-governmental organization that treats the secondary problems of Ethiopian noma survivors. Operations are performed in Addis Ababa by a visiting expert team. Postoperatively, patients are seen annually for years after the surgery., Results: This article discusses basic principles, goals, and a practical surgical algorithm for operating on lip, cheek, and oral defects, based on 210 noma patients who were operated on in Ethiopia over a period of 11 years., Conclusions: The suggested algorithm has proven to work for the Facing Africa team members and is considered shareware for all surgeons to use and benefit from., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: Esophageal cancer surgery is technically highly demanding. During the past decade robot-assisted surgery has successfully been introduced in esophageal cancer treatment. Various techniques are being evaluated in different centers. In particular, advantages and disadvantages of continuously sutured (COSU) or linear-stapled (LIST) gastroesophageal anastomoses are debated. Here, we comparatively analyzed perioperative morbidities and short-term outcomes in patients undergoing hybrid robot-assisted esophageal surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), with COSU or LIST anastomoses in a single center., Methods: Following standardized, effective, nCRT, 53 patients underwent a hybrid Ivor Lewis robot-assisted esophagectomy with COSU (n = 32) or LIST (n = 21) gastroesophageal anastomoses. Study endpoints were intra- and postoperative complications, in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Duration of operation, intensive care unit (ICU) and overall hospital stay were also evaluated. Furthermore, rates of rehospitalization, endoscopies, anastomotic stenosis and recurrence were assessed in a 90-day follow-up., Results: Demographics, ASA scores and tumor characteristics were comparable in the two groups. Median duration of operation was similar in patients with COSU and LIST anastomosis (467 vs. 453 min, IQR 420-521 vs. 416-469, p = 0.0611). Major complications were observed in 4/32 (12.5%) and 4/21 (19%) patients with COSU or LIST anastomosis, respectively (p = 0.697). Anastomotic leakage was observed in 3/32 (9.3%) and 2/21 (9.5%) (p = 1.0) patients with COSU or LIST anastomosis, respectively. Pleural empyema occurred in 1/32 (3.1%) and 2/21 (9.5%) (p = 0.555) patients, respectively. Mortality was similar in the two groups (1/32, 3.1% and 1/21, 4.7%, p = 1.0). Median ICU stay did not differ in patients with COSU or LIST anastomosis (p = 0.255), whereas a slightly, but significantly (p = 0.0393) shorter overall hospital stay was observed for COSU, as compared to LIST cohort (median: 20 vs. 21 days, IQR 17-22 vs. 18-28)., Conclusions: COSU is not inferior to LIST in the performance of gastroesophageal anastomosis in hybrid Ivor Lewis operations following nCRT., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Laparoscopic (LSC) Heller myotomy (HM) is considered the standard procedure for the treatment of achalasia. Robotic platforms, established over the last years, provide important advantages to surgeons, such as binocular 3-dimensional vision and improvement of fine motor control. However, whether perioperative outcomes and long-term results of robotic-assisted laparoscopic (RAL) HM are similar or even superior to LSC technique, especially concerning long-term follow-up, is still debated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate intra- and postoperative results as well as long-term quality of life after RAL compared to LSC surgery for achalasia in a single high-volume visceral surgery center., Methods: Between August 2007 and April 2020, 43 patients undergoing minimally invasive HM for achalasia in a single high-volume Swiss visceral surgery center, were included in the present study. Intra- and postoperative outcome parameters were collected and evaluated, and a long-term follow-up was performed using the gastroesophageal-reflux disease health-related quality of life (GERD-Hr-QuoL) questionnaire., Results: A total of 11 patients undergoing RAL and 32 undergoing LSC HM were analyzed. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were similar. A trend (p = 0.052) towards a higher number of patients with ASA III score treated with RAL was detectable. Operation time was marginally, but significantly, shorter in LSC (140 min, IQR: 136-150) than in RAL (150 min, IQR: 150-187, p = 0.047). Postoperative complications graded Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3 were only observed in one patient in each group. Length of hospital stay was similar in both groups (LSC: 11 days, IQR: 10-13 vs. RAL: 11 days, IQR: 10-14, p = 0.712). Long-term follow-up (LSC: median 89 months, vs. RAL: median 28 months, p = 0.001) showed comparable results and patients from both groups expressed similar levels of satisfaction (p = 0.181)., Conclusions: LSC and RAL HM show similar peri- and postoperative results and a high quality of life, even in long-term (> 24 months) follow-up. Prospective, randomized, controlled multicenter trials are needed to overcome difficulties associated to small sample sizes in a rare condition and to confirm the equality or demonstrate the superiority of robotic-assisted procedures for achalasia. Meanwhile, the choice of the treatment technique could be left to the operating surgeon's preferences., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (nCRT) of locally advanced rectal cancer is associated with challenging surgical treatment and increased postoperative morbidity. Robotic technology overcomes laparoscopy limitations by enlarged 3D view, improved anatomical transection accuracy, and physiologic tremor reduction. Patients with UICC stage II-III rectal cancer, consecutively referred to our institution between March 2015 and June 2020 (n = 102) were treated with robotic (Rob-G, n = 38) or laparoscopic (Lap-G, n = 64) low anterior resection (LAR) for total meso-rectal excision (TME) following highly standardized and successful nCRT treatment. Feasibility, conversion rates, stoma creation, morbidity and clinical/pathological outcome were comparatively analysed. Sex, age, BMI, ASA scores, cTN stages and tumour distance from dentate line were comparable in the two groups. Robotic resection was always feasible without conversion to open surgery, which was necessary in 11/64 (17%) Lap-G operations (p = 0.006). Primary or secondary stomata were created in 17/38 (45%) Rob-G and 52/64 (81%) Lap-G patients (p < 0.001). Major morbidity occurred in 7/38 (18.4%) Rob-G and 6/64 (9.3%) Lap-G patients (p = 0.225). Although median operation time was longer in Rob-G compared with Lap-G (376; IQR: 330-417 min vs. 300; IQR: 270-358 min; p < 0.001), the difference was not significant in patients (Rob-G, n = 6; Lap-G, n = 10) with ≥30 BMI (p = 0.106). Number of resected lymph nodes, ypTN staging and circumferential resection margins (CRM) were comparable. Resection was complete in 87% of Rob-G and 89% of Lap-G patients (p = 0.750). Robotic LAR is not inferior to laparoscopic LAR following nCRT. Larger, randomized studies are needed to confirm lower conversion in robotic, compared to laparoscopic resection., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Robotic-assisted colorectal surgery has gained more and more popularity over the last years. It seems to be advantageous to laparoscopic surgery in selected situations, especially in confined regions like a narrow male pelvis in rectal surgery. Whether robotic-assisted, left-sided colectomies can serve as safe training operations for less frequent, low anterior resections for rectal cancer is still under debate. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate intra- and postoperative results of robotic-assisted laparoscopy (RAL) compared to laparoscopic (LSC) surgery in left-sided colectomies., Methods: Between June 2015 and December 2019, 683 patients undergoing minimally invasive left-sided colectomies in two Swiss, high-volume colorectal centers were included. Intra- and postoperative outcome parameters were collected and analyzed., Results: A total of 179 patients undergoing RAL and 504 patients undergoing LSC were analyzed. Baseline characteristics showed similar results. Intraoperative complications occurred in 0.6% of RAL and 2.0% of LSC patients (p = 0.193). Differences in postoperative complications graded Dindo ≥ 3 were not statistically significant (RAL 3.9% vs. LSC 6.3%, p = 0.227). Occurrence of anastomotic leakages showed no statistically significant difference [RAL n = 2 (1.1%), LSC n = 8 (1.6%), p = 0.653]. Length of hospital stay was similar in both groups. Conversions to open surgery were significantly higher in the LSC group (6.2% vs.1.7%, p = 0.018), while stoma formation was similar in both groups [RAL n = 1 (0.6%), LSC n = 5 (1.0%), p = 0.594]. Operative time was longer in the RAL group (300 vs. 210.0 min, p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Robotic-assisted, left-sided colectomies are safe and feasible compared to laparoscopic resections. Intra- and postoperative complications are similar in both groups. Most notably, the rate of anastomotic leakages is similar. Compared to laparoscopic resections, the analyzed robotic-assisted resections have longer operative times but less conversion rates. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm the safety of robotic-assisted, left-sided colectomies as training procedures for low anterior resections., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Robotic-assisted procedures are increasingly used in esophageal cancer surgery. We compared postoperative complications and early oncological outcomes following hybrid robotic-assisted thoracoscopic esophagectomy (Rob-E) and open Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (Open-E), performed in a single mid-volume center, in the context of evolving preoperative patient and tumor characteristics over two decades., Methods: We evaluated prospectively collected data from a single center from 1999 to 2020 including 321 patients that underwent Ivor Lewis esophagectomy, 76 underwent Rob-E, and 245 Open-E. To compare perioperative outcomes, a 1:1 case-matched analysis was performed. Endpoints included postoperative morbidity and 30-day mortality., Results: Preoperative characteristics revealed increased rates of adenocarcinomas and wider use of neoadjuvant treatment over time. A larger number of patients with higher ASA grades were operated with Rob-E. In case-matched cohorts, there were no differences in the overall morbidity (69.7% in Rob-E, 60.5% in Open-E, p value 0.307), highest Clavien-Dindo grade per patient (43.4% vs. 38.2% grade I or II, p value 0.321), comprehensive complication index (median 20.9 in both groups, p value 0.401), and 30-day mortality (2.6% in Rob-E, 3.9% in Open-E, p value 1.000). Similar median numbers of lymph nodes were harvested (24.5 in Rob-E, 23 in Open-E, p value 0.204), and comparable rates of R0-status (96.1% vs. 93.4%, p value 0.463) and distribution of postoperative UICC stages (overall p value 0.616) were observed., Conclusions: Our study demonstrates similar postoperative complications and early oncological outcomes after Rob-E and Open-E. However, the selection criteria for Rob-E appeared to be less restrictive than those of Open-E surgery., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is typically considered a benign tumor of the liver without malignant potential. The co-occurrence of FNH and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported in rare cases. In this study we sought to investigate the clonal relationship between these lesions in a patient with FNH-HCC co-occurrence., Methods: A 74-year-old female patient underwent liver tumor resection. The resected nodule was subjected to histologic analyses using hematoxylin and eosin stain and immunohistochemistry. DNA extracted from microdissected FNH and HCC regions was subjected to whole exome sequencing. Clonality analysis were performed using PyClone., Results: Histologic analysis reveals that the nodule consists of an FNH and two adjoining HCC components with distinct histopathological features. Immunophenotypic characterization and genomic analyses suggest that the FNH is clonally related to the HCC components, and is composed of multiple clones at diagnosis, that are likely to have progressed to HCC through clonal selection and/or the acquisition of additional genetic events., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first study showing a clonal relationship between FNH and HCC. We show that FNH may possess the capability to undergo malignant transformation and to progress to HCC in very rare cases., Competing Interests: Competing interestsM.S.M. has received speaker’s honoraria from Thermo Fisher and honoraria as an advisory board member from Novartis. The other authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2022.)